Drop Dead Gorgeous
by Tragic Lullaby
Summary: Mikan Sakura, a devilish orphan who has been kicked out of 11 families and has no past, is suddenly kidnapped. Natsume Hyuuga, the infamous black cat, also kidnapped. Can Natsume recover Mikan's dark history? Can they even escape the fashion company? NxM
1. Breaking the first memory

I do not own Gakuen Alice, and so far none of my OCs are in this chapter

I do not own Gakuen Alice, and so far none of my OCs are in this chapter.

**Drop Dead Gorgeous**

_It's midnight when we finally realise_

_It's only just beginning_

Daemon Koneko

**Chapter One.**

_**Breaking the first memory**_

* * *

_**My fault.**_

Black, grey, white, all the other colours had been drained from the world. Tears stinging at my eyes, but nobody cared for a small, lost girl. Not in this cruel world. Footsteps, fast and thumping, echoing the rapid beat of my heart; the footsteps of my pursuers. _Their_ murderers.

My family was dead. I had seen them all, the blackened bodies, burnt beyond recognition. Their screams pounded my head, their everlasting screams, their last words. My second eldest brother had hidden me, while my eldest brother had tried to hold them off. They had both died, and it was all my fault.

My legs were aching as I turned the corner, lungs gasping for any oxygen that I was inhaling in short pants. They were coming, catching up to me, their legs so much longer than mine. Their voices were coming nearer and nearer. I glanced ahead of me, a train track. _Thud, thud, thud, _the sound of the train coming closer, I had to cross, I was out of control, and if I didn't they would catch me. My foot crunched down onto the track as the barrier closed behind me. It all happened at once. The glowing headlights pinned me like a hunter that had found its rabbit, my eyes widened in fear, the screech of the train as the driver slammed down on the breaks. Too late.

There was a sudden rush of air, a burning feeling and a thud as something hard hit me on the back of the head, and pain, lots of it.

And then it was all gone.

All of it.

_My fault._

* * *

They were kicking me out. It wasn't to be unexpected I suppose, they had been my eleventh foster family to do so. I suppose I was just an unlovable child, but that was no excuse for them. They hadn't even tried to make me fit in. My ex-big brother held me up but the collar and stared straight into my eyes with his fierce brown ones. It was a pity. Out of all of my eleventh family, he was the kindest to me, and these cruel people were making him do the dirty work, i.e. kicking me out.

I was Mikan Sakura, an orphan. That was all I knew of my past; my name and my status…and fear, the rest of it was just black. I suppose that was a good thing, because I had tasted fear before I had even gone to any family. My ex-brother slammed me onto the ground, stones scattering everywhere. "Leave now," he forced the words out in front of his family, "Scum." I could see behind his eyes he was begging me, _please, just leave before you get hurt, just leave, please, I am sorry. _Slowly, I rose to me feet, brushing the stones out of my grazes. I nodded to him and turned, not looking back at the rest of my eleventh family.

I heard their relieved laughter as they went back into the safety of their house.

_Bastards._

I know I couldn't have what I wanted. I know I couldn't have what other people took for granted. What I wanted was a family, a home, and someone to hold. I haven't hugged someone for longer than I could remember. Maybe I did when I was a child, since I lost my memory at the age of six. I had been in my first year of school when it happened. I stared down the abandoned road; I didn't know where to go as I had nowhere to go. My footsteps were slow as I sauntered along.

"Hmmm, a lost little kitten, eh?" a male voice stopped me; I turned, my eyes narrowing, searching through the dark of a narrow alleyway. The man chuckled, his voice the only sound in the area. "You look suspicious, as you should be. You seem to be the streetwise kind of person. You would survive well in the real world."

I raised an eyebrow, "You call this surviving? I've just been kicked out again." I took up a defensive stance. This man was _not going to touch me. _He laughed again, the sound grinding in my ears. As he stepped out into the light, I saw he wasn't the ugly man I had pictured. No, he was definitely not an ugly, dirty, fat old geezer, he was quite the opposite; handsome, clean, slim but muscular and young. His red-brown hair gleamed, obviously it had been washed recently, and his purple eyes striking. He was older though. I snorted; his charms wouldn't work on me.

"You have a gift, young one," he commented, "A gift no ordinary human has." I eyed him warily, not dropping my defences, and he chuckled _again. _"You can stop that now, I mean no harm, just merely curious," his eyes gleamed, "I'm Reo." He eyed her like a vulture circling its prey. "You have potential, once we get you cleaned up and get you some decent clothes." He clicked his fingers, "Sorry, little kitten, I don't think you have a choice in this anymore." Out of the darkness, completely silently, and to my shock, came six black-clad men. They came at me like lions, diving for their prey.

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga was just regaining consciousness. He was sitting on something cold, ice-cold. He grunted, annoyed, wishing he was a faster seat warmer. But he had a more important issue at hand. _Exactly where the hell was he? _His sight was slowly coming to his fierce crimson eyes. Bars; not exactly chocolate bars or bars of gold, but steel bars; prison bars."Dammit," he growled, lunging towards the metal poles the kept him in. He reached forward to touch them, grab them, but there was a zap of electricity and Natsume cursed.

Electrical prison bars. Joy.

Footsteps, echoing down the dark, cold, cement passageway; Natsume flung himself down, pretending to still be out cold. The feet stopped at his prison, "Hyuuga is still out cold, I was hoping he'd wake up by now so I could bring him upstairs. Put the girl inside, we have no spare cells, he'll have to put up with her when she wakes up." Natsume opened his eyes so they were slits. A dust-covered, unconscious female was hanging limp in an unknown person's arms. Just like he had been. They tossed her into the cell and quickly closed it with a sharp loud crash. The girl twitched at the noise. "I need to get back upstairs to the models," said the voice. The footsteps faded away and Natsume awoke with a start, his gaze turning to the girl. Beneath the mud, blood and dirt, there was an angelic face, twisted in defiance, her arms were splayed out like wings and her legs limp. Her clothes were old and worn and her hair, once it had been washed would be a beautiful colour. Natsume had an eye for potential.

A groan escaped from the girl's dry and cracked lips, she was stirring. Her eyelids began to flutter and a hand reached up to touch her head, "Errgh…" her mouth only mouthed the next words. Natsume read them, _'killer headache, what happened?' _He smirked, yep, just like him. She dragged herself up and the raven-haired guy offered no help at all. She winced as she leaned on a recent bruise, "Bastards, I didn't expect to be attacked by them all at once. Bloody painful." There was movement out of the corner of her eye and she spun warily to face Natsume. "Who are you? Are you with _them _as well?!" she asked coldly.

Natsume replied with iciness to rival her own, "Does it look like it, stupid girl? I'm in the same situation as you." He was going to _kill _Imai, if it wasn't for her and her bloody debts he wouldn't even be here.

The girl grunted, "I'm _never _going to trust any pretty boys ever again." She began to examine her new injuries, "_Potential…my arse_…just a trap." She was muttering to herself. She combed back the knotted brown hair away from her face and retrieved a dirty hanky from her pocket and began to wipe the blood from her face. Natsume snorted; if anything that was going to make it dirtier, not cleaner.

Suddenly, without warning, two hands reached out and grabbed them both by their hair. The girl snarled in protest, reaching up with her own sharp-nailed hands to scratch the living daylights out of her harasser. "Well, well, well," a familiar voice caused both teens to freeze, "Look who has woken up. Welcome, little kitten and Natsume Hyuuga." Natsume turned to see two sparking purple eyes, Reo. "Bring them, if they try to resist, use your alices on them." Reo turned and began to lead the company up a flight of hard cement stairs.

* * *

Bright light. I had to close my eyes as the unnatural light burnt my retina. The force on my hair didn't cease. There were gasps, sighs, chants and quiet chatter. "Who _is _that girl, she doesn't belong here! I mean look at her, she looks like a pig that rolled in mud! The guy however…he looks even better than Reo-sama!" I wanted to shut myself away in a hole. This was why I didn't like going out in public. I attracted unwanted, nasty attention. "As if he is going to let her join us, she isn't worth it. She is probably the new cleaner or cafeteria girl." I snapped open my eyes, I couldn't take it anymore; I would show them who wasn't worth it.

I blinked, I was surrounded by beauties, strutting their stuff. They were staring right back at me; and they were not the oh-so-glad-to-meet-you stares but the wtf-is-she-doing-here-the-useless-swine stares that I usually got. I rolled my eyes, yep, just the same as it was anywhere. The force on my hair increased as I realised that I had stopped walking, I also received some pressure on the pressure point of my back, making me wince.

There was the sound of a door opening and I was thrown onto the floor, but the force had gone. There was another thud as the guy from the prison fell to the carpet as well. "Well, well, well," the bastard, Reo, spoke from above us, "my little wildcat and black cat, welcome to my company; _Drop Dead Gorgeous._"

I felt like laughing.

* * *

Right so, that's it for the first chapter. Please review. I love reviews, don't you?

DK


	2. Sweeping the seconds away

**Drop Dead Gorgeous**

_It's midnight when we finally realise_

_It's only just beginning_

Daemon Koneko

**Chapter two.**

_**Sweeping the seconds away.

* * *

  
**_

And the models weren't wrong; I was indeed assigned to cleaning and being cafeteria lady. But I could deal with that, I had always known I wasn't pretty despite some false compliments I had received as I child. The jerk however, declined the offer to become a model, and instead wanted to be a designer or a makeup artist, "Or…" I remembered him adding, looking not at Reo, but at me, "A person who looks for potential." Reo had accepted his terms, grudgingly. Now, I knew exactly where the jerk sat because there was always a crowd of girls surrounding his table, chattering away like there was know tomorrow. He always sat in the same place, the closest table to the serving place, where I was, so he could disturb my peace and quiet.

Speak of the devil, and the devil may appear. He, the crimson eyed, raven-haired jerk, had appeared and right on his tail, screaming and squealing fan girls, the models. He was doing a great job at ignoring them. Instead, he walked straight up to the serving place and leaned on the counter. "What do _you, _want?" I snarled, bored and irritated that, yet again; my peace had been disturbed by the jerk. I don't actually know his name, I can't be bothered to find it out and _jerk _suited him so much more.

"I could ask you the same, I haven't actually asked for your attention yet. I might just be leaning on this counter because I _want _to lean on this counter," he shot back. The guile of him! I seethed, hoping my eyes would burn a hole through his thick scull.

"_I'm_ serving girl so it's _my _business to pay attention to any jerk who comes and leans on _my _counter," I snapped, "So if you don't have any business here, I'm going to ask you quietly to _please, piss off._" I turned my back on him, going back to whatever I was doing, which…god help me, was going to the counter and serving jerks their food. I heard a quiet chuckle from behind me. _He was laughing at me! After I had done that oh-so-dramatic get out of my face speech! _It angered my further if anything. "Why haven't you just gone and played with your fan girl models yet and left a _peace_ and _quiet _wanting girl like me _alone_?!"

"Because I have to sit around and hear their stories of how they went to a hairdresser and, god-forbid, the hairdresser had dyed their hair two shades off the colour they usually have their hair dyed, _everyday_. Besides, I'm interested in hearing a cafeteria girl's boring life story once in a while. It's a change to a model's boring life story," I don't think he knew my name either, and why did he care? My life story was exactly how he said it was, tragically boring. He was waiting for me to answer.

"Excuse me," oh my god, my saviour! I wanted to kiss whoever it was, if it wasn't for the fact that I _don't _lavish my affection on people. I turned, grinning from ear to ear to see the jerk scowling playfully at a man. A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, _probably a model, _I grunted to myself. Was I the only _normal _person around here, or was everyone devastatingly pretty? Well, it is a model company. "What's with that expression, Natsume, are you trying to hit on this girl now?" _Hit on me?_ I snorted in a most unladylike, _puh-lease he just told me that my life story was boring, which is true. _

"Why would I hit on _that thing, _which has all the grace of a pig," the jerk growled.

"And I don't understand why anyone would fall for that jerk there, who has the manners of a pig," I muttered, insulting my superiors could get me fired, wasn't that what I wanted? No,I got good pay here and I slept in the dorms with some of the models that happened to be orphans. I didn't make friends straight away, but I made enemies. One of the girls in my dorm, Sumare or Sumore or Sumire or something, she announced our rivalry as soon as I stepped through the door. And then she had said that the jerk was her's, I had shrugged and told to take him because I didn't give a damn.

The model looked amused by our exchange, "You're one of a kind, Miss Sakura." He said, addressing my nametag. "I'm Ruka, Ruka Nogi," he extended his hand, I smiled as charmingly as I could.

"A refreshing change to that _jerk _there, and you can just call me Mikan," I shook his hand. "Now, what would you like for lunch? After all I am a cafeteria lady and it is my job to serve people instead of arguing with them. Don't you agree that people who don't want lunch from the cafeteria shouldn't come here to annoy the hell out of the poor cafeteria ladies?" I shot the question at the jerk. "Who the hell is he anyway?"

Ruka's eyes were as wide as the platters that I served food on, the jerk smirked, and seriously, you could've heard a pin drop. It was totally silent. The models were staring at me like I was totally uneducated. Ruka was there first one to recover and I raised my eyebrow, was the fact that I didn't know who the jerk was all that unbelievable? "Mikan, he's Natsume Hyuuga," he said hesitantly.

"So?" I had never heard of him, he couldn't be that famous.

"Sakura, just where have you been living for the past few years,"

I was hesitant, "Oh, here and there, I moved around a lot." For some reason I didn't want any of these people to know I was an orphan. One look at the jerk's eyes and I knew that he would _force _it out of me. I had never experienced torture but I was stubborn, extremely stubborn, nobody could force it anything out of me. Or so I thought. "I didn't get out often…" I admitted, sighing.

"Still, your family should've mentioned him now and then, or you should've seen him on television," Nogi blue eyes were staring into my eyes. Thankfully, the bell rang, it was time to get back to duty. I didn't want to kiss Ruka, my saviour, anymore. I wanted to bash him for asking me about my past. About something I wanted to forget.

"You'd better get back to whatever you were doing," I said, trying to keep a smile plastered on my face and trying to keep the frostiness out of my voice. Slowly, they left, chattering, gossiping, saying things like, _'How rude she was to Ruka and Natsume-sama!' 'That girl needs to be taught a lesson.' _The jer--, I mean Hyuuga was the last to leave.

"Hmm," he said, and chuckled, "I think I might come and lean on the counter a little more in future. See you around, polka dots."

"Yeah, see you around, jerk," I snapped. _Polka dots? _What the hell did that mean? _Wait a second_, I turned and looking down, I got a lovely view of my panties. He must've seen them when I had turned around… "_HYUUGA!_" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I hoped that busted his perfect jerk ears, I hoped that busted them good.

* * *

Just because I lived in the fashion world, even as a cafeteria girl, that didn't mean I missed out of school. Did I mention that the _Drop Dead Gorgeous _company was massive? They even had their own school, but it wasn't called the _Drop Dead Gorgeous School_, ho no. They'd be ridiculed if they called a school that. Instead the school was called _Alice Academy _or something like that. At the age of sixteen, I still had to have my education and Reo had promised me that. Unfortunately, he hadn't mentioned I would be the _only _cafeteria girl there. Instead, he had surreptitiously ordered some make up artists to "clean me up".

Nobody told me this meant stripping me and tossing me into a hot bath where I was mercilessly scrubbed that I swear they took at least two layers of skin off, and where my hair was washed and washed until I was scared that I wouldn't be able to salvage my eyeballs from the soapy suds. The makeup artists were female, thankfully. Then, after I was dry, the took me to their parlour my long brown hair was combed, some sort of oil or something had been put in it, and then it was dried. Before my amazed eyes it turned from a knotty mess to beautiful soft waves. Then they put me into a school uniform. Still, despite the magic they worked on me, I called it two hours of living hell.

"Perfect," Reo grinned as I walked out, "Now nobody would guess you are a cafeteria girl." He swung me around, laughing. In my childhood I probably would've laughed along with him as he swung me around and I would've shouted, _'higher, higher!' _But I was _sixteen _and I seriously; I did _not _like this man. So I stared at him coldly. Finally getting it, he put me down. I grabbed two hairbands from the hair stylist.

"I really love the way you've done my hair, but I like it better like this," I tied my hair up in two pigtails, the way it always had been, ever since I lost my memory. I smiled sadly at them, "I know it's a bit hard to understand, but please have patience. Thank you for your time." I gave them a little bow and dismissed myself, only pausing to kick Reo's shin. "Next time, think about you are twirling around, perv." I shot back at him over my shoulder.

* * *

Had I known that only Shouda was in my class, I wouldn't have cared. But instead I had the whole handful of them; the models that gave me problems at lunch time. I stared at my class through a crack in the door; the positive feeling that I would make at least one friend was sinking like the Titanic. Luckily; I seemed like I didn't have _the jerk _in my class and Ruka was here, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Could you _move?_" an all too familiar voice of a certain jerk commanded, making the hair on the back of my hair rise. "I don't have all day, you know. Who the hell are you anyway? Some new kid off the block who Reo picked up?" _Who the hell are you anyway?_ Well yes, I could replay that; _who the hell are you anyway? _I could also speed it up; _whothehellareyouanyway? _And yes, my annoying little voice at the back of my brain concluded, I could slow it right down; _Who. The. Hell. Are. You. Anyway?_

But the point was: he didn't recognise me. _He_, Natsume Hyuuga, didn't recognise _me, _Mikan Sakura, when he irritated the hell out of me everyday. Did Reo's transformation actually work? I turned, smirking for ear to ear, "Well, I don't know, who knows who I am?"

I was gladdened to see the jerk's crimson eyes widen with disbelief, "_You!_"

"So that's who I am, _you,_" I acted surprised, "Thank you for reinforcing my identity to me." My words were dripping with sarcasm, just like honey drips from the side of the sandwich when some stupid kid has spread too much on. "See you around," and then I added when I turned away, "_jerk._"

Acting before thinking, and doing anything to get away from Hyuuga, I pushed open the door, full of stupid confidence I had acquired because of my victory over Hyuuga, and I stalked into the room. Silence. Was it just me; or could I never avoid awkward silences? I froze, and all eyes were on me. _Shit. _The confidence evaporated, kind of like water does on a really, really sunny day. That was how I felt, like a puddle of water beneath their burning gazes, wishing I could evaporate.

"Ahem," the teacher coughed, he really didn't need to, not one mouth was making noise. "Everybody, this is our new classmate…Miss…"

"Miss _You_," I blurted, unable to stop myself. Nobody would get that joke; it had been a failed attempt at humour. But to my disbelief, I heard a low chuckle to my left. I turned my head to see, well, what was there to see? Well, truthfully, everything a girl wanted really, except me. Well, in my eyes, it was nothing but that crimson eyed, raven haired, god like jerk and the fact that he was a jerk ruled out everything else in my books.

"Looks like I underestimated you, Sakura," he said quietly so only I could hear it, "looks like we'll definitely have an interesting time. You can be sure of that." _He's a jerk, he's a jerk, he's a frigging good looking one at that, _the voice at the back of my head said, _let's replay that. 'Looks like I underestimated you Sakura.' _What on earth did that mean.

* * *

Sorry it seems a bit short, I wanted it to be longer but see, I'm going to the beach tomorrow.

DK


	3. Third time lucky

**Drop Dead Gorgeous**

"_I look to the skies  
And there's stars in my eyes"_

~ Tragic Lullaby

_**Third time lucky

* * *

  
**_

The life of a cafeteria girl was pretty hectic. Most people didn't realise this; given that they weren't cafeteria girls and the models definitely thought I had it easy. I guess they had a hard time too, but people knew that. That aside, life was hard enough without having teenage models sending me suspicious stares every time I had to ask Narumi Sensei to leave the class early. Why? Because I was a cafeteria girl and I still had the duty of feeding people when they came out for lunch. See? I had to leave in five minutes anyway.

The first day at school, people didn't really notice and if they did, they just thought I was nervous as I was a new girl in a _bwig scawy scwool. _On the second day of school the thought that I was scared still remained, slightly. But by the fifth day; people started to get suspicious. They hadn't asked me any questions yet and they didn't recognise me as the cafeteria girl, yet, because of the joys of make up. Unfortunately for me, they had even weirder ideas of what I was up to. _Four minutes till five minutes till lunchtime._

_Three minutes. _"Excuse me," I was startled, it was a girl's voice, they usually didn't speak to me. In fact, they _never _spoke to me, based on the fact that I was sitting next to the 'honoured Natsume-sama!' So really, they were simply jealous for a reason I couldn't understand at all. I really didn't know what they saw in a guy like that? But I knew this voice; it was the voice of the loudest fan girl of them all, and my dorm mate; Permy. "You seem to leave class a lot. Do you have bladder problems?"

I had to stop myself from laughing out in half mortification and half hilarity. I managed. Barely. _Two minutes, _I told myself, _just survive two minutes._

However, I heard a quiet chuckle from the other side of me. Hyuuga was enjoying this at my expense. _One minute. _I shot him a glare before turning back to Permy, "Sorry, Permy, but no I don't. Sometimes I wished I did, because I'd get away from this blasted class; and this annoying jerk sitting next to me. Sorry to disappoint. Done now? Okay, that's great. Bye!" I grabbed my bag and skipped up the isle separating the desks. It was five minutes till lunchtime; time for me to leave.

I felt the stare of a purple-eyed girl hot on the back of my neck. She did that every day, stared at me, that is. I was certain she had some sort of problem.

* * *

He was here again, how annoying. He was leaning on the serving counter; _again, _he had been doing that ever since he first did it. Usually, I would be polite, but being irritated every lunchtime was getting to me. "Would you budge?" I asked coldly, "I have people to serve here." I gestured at the line.

He didn't even have to glance back to realise I was lying, "Really? Where?"

"My_ imaginary friends _are_ hungry, _Hyuuga_!"_ I snapped at him. "I have invented many of them since nobody else here is my friend." He looked surprised, but it was probably my imagination because he didn't really change his expression.

"Ruka doesn't seem to mind you," he said quietly, "nor does Reo. You wouldn't be here if people hated you Sakura. But it seems when they do want to make friends with you, you push them away." My mind turned blank except from the thought, _this jerk actually talks sense. _But after recovering from my shock I realised that what he was saying was true. I did push people away, but how did he know? I didn't even know why I pushed them away! Must be my attitude; cynical and cold, a great combination in a friend.

"Nah, don't be stupid," I said, "They're just morbidly curious, because…" whoops. I mentally bashed myself, I couldn't reveal my past, or at least; the past I remembered. "Err…because…I dunno!" I knew he wouldn't buy it. Even if he was a jerk, he was smart one.

"Hmmm?" he was quick to catch on and he was eyeballing me. I scowled right back at him. He pushed people away too! All those models! What a hypocrite, I wondered if he had a past that he didn't want to share. Reo seemed to think he was a "black cat".

Luckily I was saved again, as the over speaker chimed out Reo's voice; "Natsume Hyuuga, please come to my office to speak about the matter we have spoken about before. Immediately." It was Hyuuga's turn to scowl; his red eyes could've burnt something. Whatever he was going to speak about, it must annoy him. I could imagine him using those burning red eyes on Reo. I forced back a chuckle, next time I saw that weirdo manager, he would be scorched. But whatever, I had been saved from being interrogated about my past because of Reo. Someone up in heaven must like me or something. Not loved, if I was loved I would be one of these glamorous models who had a glamorous past and a glamorous family.

* * *

_Hotaru_

Hotaru Imai was an interesting girl; Ice Queen, didn't really like modelling, preferred to be in a lab making something, and most secret of all, she was a secret spy, but that was a secret. So don't even mention it, it is a secret. However this girl had been protecting someone, had been trying to stop her from falling into the wrong hands or the enemy's hands, which were wrong. So, to help her fellow secret spies, Hotaru Imai had deliberately gotten herself caught by the enemy. Unfortunately, this girl had been stupid, kicked out of her family, met some weird dude on the street, kidnapped by the same person and brought to the last place the spies wanted her to be; in the enemy's hands.

So to put it shortly; it had been all for nothing. Hotaru wanted nothing more than to hit this girl over the head with a hard blunt object. But she held back, barely, because it would help if the girl actually knew what was going on instead of wondering around as if she thought she knew what was all happening when really she had absolutely no clue and no memory.

So, Hotaru, made do with burning her retina, staring at the girl's stupid head. She proceeded to decide that it would be easier protecting the girl if she were her friend. Getting up, the Ice Queen made her way to the girl, tapping her twice on the shoulder. The girl blinked up her, her eyes soon turning wary. _She thinks I'm like Shouda, _Hotaru thought with a little amusement. "I think it's better if two cute girls like us stick together," she said in a monotone, knowing this would win the girl's heart over.

The girl seemed stunned, but her eyes soon began to sparkle, "You mean, like friends?"

"Friendship permitted," Hotaru stated. "I'm Hotaru Imai."

"I am Mikan Sakura," she beamed at Hotaru, "Please be kind to me."

For Hotaru Imai, kindness didn't exist for those who were idiots. She smiled a little and it was rather scary, to say the least. And it was in that moment that a certain Natsume Hyuuga walked in, looking positively murderous.

* * *

_Mikan_

The next day was just about the same; I had lunch duty, Hyuuga got called up to Reo office again, Hyuuga returned looking pissed and I had to endure the long torturous hours in my dorm. The only changes were this; I had a friend and a new model had joined our school.

"Everyone," Narumi clapped his hands, trying to get the attention of his rowdy class. Next to him was a boy, yes, good looking, seemed funny by the one-sided grin on his face, and even seemed a little embarrassed, "This is Hiro Shun." The boy, Hiro, gave us a lopsided grin. I stuck my fingers in my ears and scowled as the fan girls started 'kyaa'ing behind me. I was guessing that their fan club not only included the jerk and bunny boy anymore but also Hiro as well now.

I glanced toward Natsume and I swear I caught a flash of recognition on his face but it disappeared as quickly as it came. The new boy caught Hyuuga's eyes and I swear I saw a message pass between them, through the eye contact. My suspicions were raised.

By the time lunch came around again the next day, I couldn't help my curiosity anymore, Hyuuga was leaning on the counter again, so I decided to actually talk to him instead of yelling at him like I usually did; "Hyuuga." He didn't react; did he suddenly turn deaf over night or from the fan girls' scream? "Hey, Hyuuga," I said louder, still no acknowledgement of my existence. "Stupid, jerk, moron, idiot, _hello?_" my face was barely inches from his stupid ear. Taking a deep breath, I screamed into his eardrum "_Natsume!"_

He scowled at me, rubbing his ear and taking the chance to burn my hair. I gaped at him, "How'd you do that?" He smirked, rather evilly I might add.

He wasn't going to tell me. Stupid idiot.

"Whatever," I snapped, "Since I know you won't speak a word about your magically fire thing. Anyway, do you know the new dude in our class or something? I saw something pass between your eyes back there."

His eyes narrowed, "I know nothing about him. I don't know him at all." A bit aggressive, it was plain obvious that he was hiding something. I rolled my eyes and sighed, placing my face on my palm and staring angrily at him, at least it was supposed to be angry. His face loosened into a smirk, "Fallen for me have you? Polka dotted kitchen girl?"

"You wish, perverted king of stupid."

"Ugly, flat-chest, ape girl,"

"Idiotic, perverted, monkey jerk," I scowled, "Annoying, stubborn, Natsume. Always annoying when I almost let my family history slip." Oops.

He suddenly got a lot, lot closer, "You were saying?"

"You're too stubborn," I was feeling extremely uncomfortable in this sort of position. Heat started to rise in my cheeks. "Too stubborn."

It was at that time that I was saved again. It was the new guy, Hiro Shun, I think, called, "Natsume!" I gave Natsume a 'I-knew-it' look. He was seething. The new guy got closer and started to examine me, his eyes widened. "Hey, you look a lot like a childhood friend of mine," he exclaimed. I raised my eyebrow, I was certain I had never met this guy in my life. "Except she went missing about, oh, ten years ago, I'd say? She's presumed dead." He mused, "They never found a body though, did they, Nat---? Ah, sorry I forgot!"

By the look on Natsume's face, I presumed it was a taboo subject amongst them. "So you two are friends, then?" I asked.

Hiro laughed, "Of course! Natsume hasn't told you? That's not surprising; Natsume is probably embarrassed by me. We've been friends ever since we were born!" He grinned, slapping Natsume on the back. It was my turn to smirk.

"All right then Natsume," I said, "I was told about your secret about your friend. So a secret for a secret?" He stared intently at me, I took that for a yes. "I have no memory of anything before I was six years old." I racked my brain, searching desperately, "Except for running from some people who were chasing me. Something was my fault, I don't remember. And then I was on the train tracks, and the safety barrier closed in front of me and behind me, and a train was coming. I blacked out, I think I was run over, I don't remember."

Complete and utter silence.

* * *

I just got braces :

Anyway, please read and review. Things are starting to come together.

~ Tragic Lullaby.


	4. On the fourth level

**Drop Dead Gorgeous**

"_I look up to the skies,_

_And there's stars in my eyes."_

Story by Tragic Lullaby

_**On the fourth level

* * *

  
**_

_Pimples._

There were two things in this world that Sumire Shouda could not stand; the first one being people bad mouthing Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi, and the second being girls flirting or practically glued to Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi. She now had a third hate; _acne. _Waking up that night and going to the bathroom at twelve for god knows what reason, and looking into the mirror and staring at those pus-infested, red and white spots was not the ideal way to start the day.

So, Sumire Shouda, never having pimples before in her life, started to scream. Loudly. It so happens that a certain cafeteria girl is sleeping next door to her room, and being a light sleeper, had been awoken.

She groaned; it was going to be a _long _night.

No, more precisely, it was _morning,_ as it was already the start of a new day.

* * *

_Mikan_

The jerk was enjoying himself, his smug smile showed it all. Want to know what he was laughing at? The bags under my eyes, well, the bags under all the girl's eyes really. I did not find it the least bit amusing. Did he have to stay up all night trying to tell a hysterical girl that looking after her skin mattered more than a photo shoot? No. That smug smile was giving me a twitchy eye; smirks were one of the most unattractive ways to look in a photo. I knew this from looking at one of my former foster family's little brother's photos. He had looked unbearably smug in almost every single one; and when he wasn't so frigging smart-arse looking, he scowled.

Although; bags underneath the eyes did come under the list of unattractive things as well.

We were standing in Reo's office. Why he had called his lovely cafeteria girl up to his office, I have no idea. Would you like some tea sir? Not. Why he had to drag Hyuuga up with me, I don't know. "So Shouda can't do her photoshoot then," Reo sighed, after hearing my story. I stared at him, incredulously. Surely makeup could fix a couple of pimples? "Tsk, this slows things down, we need photos today," he glanced at me, a smile dawning on his face. "Mikan, would you so kindly take her place in the photoshoot?"

Yeah whatever…wait what?!

"Reo," I heard an angered growl from beside me and I glanced at Natsume, his smirk seemed to have dissolved into a frightening glare. What on earth was up with him? Reo ignored Natsume and stared straight at me. His smile was still there, but the eyes, they were so serious, and it scared me. My feet wanted to take me a step back, away from this person, my childhood fear kicking into my veins. For some reason my hand seem to be edging towards Hyuuga.

"No," I answered flatly, barely standing my ground and clenching my hand into a fist. No more kiddy urges. I wasn't going to stay if here if all I was going to hear was this nonsense, and if all I was going to feel was my past fear. I had noticed the Natsume had seemed to relaxed, slightly. "If you would excuse me, I have to get to school." Without another word, I turned and walked away without another thought of this topic.

* * *

It was at this time I loved it how the girls were all so sleepy, because it was so quiet and peaceful, mainly because most of us were sleeping on the desks without getting caught. I kept awake though; I believed education was a good thing, even if you don't appreciate the torture of learning at the time. The other reason of me staying awake was because Natsume would kick me under the desk if I even looked like I was going to doze off. Stupid bastard.

It was a tad unfortunate the Permy and her group were still awake though, during break they came over to bug me again. "Hey Sakura," Permy started and waited until it seemed like I was paying attention, "We were wondering." Oh god, they were thinking now? "You are the only girl who doesn't seem to love Master Natsume and Master Ruka," Not everyone falls heads over heels for jerks and over curious people you know? "So, does that mean," she started to fidget, "That _you are a lesbian?"_

God save me from stupid people.

I almost fell out of my chair, "Are you stupid?" I asked the fan club, who were on the verge of being doubled over with laughter, "Just because I don't like a stupid jerk or an overly curious animal boy, doesn't mean I'm homosexual. Now, run along with your little club Permy and go play hairdressers somewhere else." She sniffed unpleasantly.

This was strange, it was just like Permy to have me comfort her about her pimples and then rock up and ask if I was homosexual. I guess the attention I had paid her last night paid off though, "Right, just asking. As long as you don't get too close to Natsume and Ruka, Sakura, otherwise, no matter how much you help me, I won't forgive you." As she walked away, I had a strange feeling that Sumire Shouda, in her own way, would make a good friend.

I heard a chuckle beside me, and I scowled at my neighbour, Natsume. Hiro Shun also seemed to be amused by my little speech. "Getting a little defensive, Polka dots," Natsume teased me, "Are you sure you aren't lesbian?" My scowl deepened as I hit his shoulder and stuck my tongue out at him. Grabbing my bags I decided it was time to hurry down to the cafeteria, my rightful job.

* * *

"So you refused?" Hiro Shun asked me, as I took my break from serving. I now had a group to sit with see, Hiro seemed friendly enough so he had joined me and Hotaru and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, Ruka Nogi had decided to sit with us too. Where was Natsume Hyuuga, you ask? In Reo's office again, that's where. I hoped he was beating Reo up, but that made it seemed like I sided with Natsume, or even liked him!

"Yeah, I refused," we were talking about Reo's offer to me to become a model for a photoshoot, an I was loading my plate with our lunch time special, roast chicken, rice and greens. "So?" I asked through a mouthful of food.

Hotaru sent me a disgusted look while Hiro laughed, "Nobody's ever turned down such an offer before, Reo isn't going to know what's hit him. Oh lord," he wiped away tears of laughter, "I wish I was there, I wanted to see his face."

"Why does Reo keep calling Hyuuga to his office?" I asked. A shadow of doubt flickered across Hiro's face before a fake 'as-if-I-know' look faded into place. Hiro was a good actor I realised, as he shrugged. "Do you act?"

"Yeah," a grin replaced the look on his face, "I really want to act in a movie, I loved doing drama at school. Me and my friend," he faltered before going on, "we would do the best double acts, we were such trouble makers. Graffiti, pretended to be secret spies, managed to steal the test papers so we couldn't do the test."

"Your friend," I asked softly, "Do you know where they are now?"

Hiro shook his head, "You are never able to contact anybody outside this place once you are inside. Have you been able to contact anybody?" I could tell he was worried about his friend, very worried.

"I don't have anyone to contact," I mumbled, pushing around the rice on my plate. I didn't look any of them in the eyes, I was too scared to see what was in them. "I've never had any friends that I remember. I didn't need them." I forced a smile and glanced back up at Hiro, "Your friend, how do you think she is going now?"

Hiro raised an eyebrow, "How'd you know it was a girl?"

"I didn't say it was one,"

"Yes you did," Ruka chimed in, equally suspicious as always, "You said 'she'."

"I just had a feeling that it was one," I said, confused myself about how I knew. "Maybe it was just the way you talked about her, Hiro."

"Anybody else would've guessed it was a guy," Hotaru pointed out. "Does the name Ayumu Fujimoto mean anything to you?"

* * *

_Slap, the blonde girl had just hit the brown haired girl across the face. "Don't say that!" shouted the blonde girl, "Don't be like that! You know he's worth it, you know you're worth it! Don't go around saying things like that! My friends, my friends are always worth it." The blonde girl burst into tears, and the brown haired boy standing next to her put his arm across her shoulders, comforting her. "Don't say you like him if you are just going to say it's a joke later,"_

_The brown hair girl stared at her friend in shock, her hand on her cheek against the place where she had been hit, tears started to well up in her eyes, "Ayumu…"_

"_Leave her alone, Ayumu!" another kid shouted, his hair was black, like another of the girl's. "You don't have to hit her like that. Hiro," he rounded on the boy, "You should learn to control you friend better."_

"_Don't you dare blame it all on Ayumu," the brown haired boy glared, this was the first time the brown haired girl had seen her friend so angry, he was usually pretty easy going. "It's partly your fault too, it's partly everyone's fault."_

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the brown haired girl pulled out of the black haired boy's grip and bent down to her blonde haired friend, she put her arms around her and hugged her. "I'm sorry I said that Ayumu."

* * *

  
_

"No," I lied, "I've never heard it before." I met all of their suspicious stares, I could act too you know. "Why do you think I have, I've never met any of you guys before. You all seem to know each other though."

Ruka laughed and let me off the hook, "Imai here is like my personal black mailer, I've known both Hiro, Hotaru and Natsume ever since I was little, along with Ayumu."

"You've known the jerk for that long," I asked, incredulous, "You poor thing! Does that mean you know the girl that Hiro had told me about that had died?"

"Yeah," he sighed sadly, "She was the most cheerful girl you could ever meet. Natsume went through the most pain though, and Ayumu thinks its all her fault because she never got the chance to say sorry to the girl before she disappeared. But it isn't their fault at all, no matter how much they say it is. She had the nicest smile you could ever imagine, it cheered up everyone's day. Her family was found burnt to death in their old house. They didn't find the girl's body though."

Okay, now I really was on the verge of crying. "That was such a sad story!" I clung to Hotaru's arm, "Happier stories next time please."

"Sorry if we made you sad," Hiro said, giving Ruka a stern look, "We won't speak of her again. It brings back bad memories."

We ate the rest of our meals in silence.

* * *

Natsume hadn't returned from Reo's office, and Hiro and Ruka had managed to disappear as well. Hotaru, on the other hand, seemed to be following me everywhere. Something was going on. When I asked Hotaru why she was following me she replied with a flat, "that's what friends do, isn't it?" So while Natsume and Ruka had disappeared, Hotaru moved to their place to sit beside me, of all things. So I couldn't get away, I suspected.

"Hello everyone~" our teacher greeted us in the usual manner, "Hmm? Where is Natsume, Ruka and Hiro? Hotaru why are you sitting up the back?" I suspected this teacher was the gay one here,

"Hyuuga, Nogi and Shun have business to attend to, teacher," Hotaru said in her monotone, "and I'm sitting next to Mikan so she doesn't get lonely."

Business to attend to, right.

"Well, they'll have to catch up on knowing the new students later then wouldn't they," Narumi clapped his hands together, "Well, kids, this is our new students. We seem to be getting lots of new students lately. They are two girls this time, come in girls."

The first to walk in was a very pretty girl, she had black hair and ruby red eyes, like…like the jerk! However unlike the jerk, she didn't scowl or anything, she smiled a bright, cheerful smile at the class and even the frostiest of hearts melted. "This is Aoi Hyuuga, Natsume's little sister."

"Nice to meet you all!" chanted Aoi, her voice sounded as clear as bells.

The second girl to walk in was blonde, her hair beautifully wavy and her eyes were a strange hazel. Was she a foreigner? She walked like she could stand up to everyone in the world and win, she walked like she was tough, like a boy. Her eyes scanned the classroom and dropped on Hotaru and me. Those hazel orbs widened, shock and disbelief colouring them. "And this, is Ayumu Fujimoto."

"Nice to meet ya," she grunted, snapping out of her surprise, rubbing her hair like she was embarrassed at all the stares she was getting.

Ayumu Fujimoto and Aoi Hyuuga.

I had a deep gut feeling that suddenly a lot of things were going to change.

And I didn't like it.

* * *

I knew a back way out of the toilets, so when I went there and Hotaru came with me, I could get away from her and find out just what was going on. Carefully, I trod down a hallway, making as much noise as a mouse. I began to here voices, arguing softly, male voices and I knew I had found them. "The Reo is persistent, I wish he would just get a clue and stop trying to make Sakura a model," it was Hyuuga's voice, "She already said no this morning!"

"It's lucky for us that she seems to know danger when she sees it," Ruka cut in, "If she had said we wouldn't be able to do much about it but…" I didn't manage to catch the last part.

"Natsume…you've…protective…ever since…that it really is her," I could barely hear Hiro, "If…does say yes…have to hide…murder her." I heard footsteps, and it seemed that Hiro had drawn closer to where Ruka and Natsume were, "What would happen if Mikan found out you really knew her past? She wouldn't forgive you."

"She'll never find out, I won't let her," Natsume snapped.

"What are you protecting her from Natsume? Bad memories? I'm sure she has enough of those already," Hiro argued. "You were the only one who'd known she was run over a by train until she told us. Did you know all this time that it was her?"

"Not until she told us her story of the train," I could barely catch the next part, "I thought she was dead."

I had heard enough; they'd been lying to me, keeping secrets from me this whole time. I thought I was their friend, suddenly a rush of footsteps alerted me. "Imai?" It was Ruka's voice, _Hotaru! _"What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be with Sakura?"

"Mikan's gone missing," I heard the note of urgency in Hotaru's voice and the muffled shocked anger in the other's gasps. That was all it took to send me running down the hallway, away from them my 'friends'.

"_Mikan Sakura, could you please come to my office," _Reo! I knew where I could go now, I slammed open his office door, panting.

"What's up Mikan, why the rush?" asked Reo, he stared at me, concerned, "Where you trying to get away from Natsume? That's good, I can't ask you what I want to ask you with him here." He smiled at me. _I can't trust anyone, not even this person, _I reminded myself.

"Shoot, Reo," I snapped.

"Would you like to become a model, Mikan?" I hesitated, a no forming on my tongue, but then I stopped. Natsume, Ruka, Hiro, Hotaru, they didn't want me to become this. "Forget Natsume, Mikan, he is just jealous of the attention you would receive if you became a model." Natsume, Ruka, Hiro and Hotaru, they all betrayed me. The taste of betrayal gave me my strength. "Become a model Mikan."

I was so angry at them all, I had thought I was their friend, or were they just using me? I was so angry that when Reo asked me again, I said yes.

* * *

Woot, it's starting to get a move on. =)

I'm too excited, tenseness, tenseness!

Please Read and Review

~ Tragic Lullaby.


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